Laughter is the Best Medicine, and with No Side Effects

I just watched a 38-second video of a baby polar bear falling into a pond and being rescued instantly by his mother, a much bigger polar bear. It was so heartwarming that I watched it three times. I have also enjoyed numerous other videos of talking parrots, mischievous kittens and inquisitive puppies in all sorts of adorable situations. While this might be seen as a total waste of time by some people, I argue otherwise: anything that makes me smile, laugh out loud or feel good about the world in general ups my body's production of serotonin and lowers my eventual need for antidepressants. That can only be good.

Still, watching "cute" videos is considered juvenile, moronic or even downright imbecilic by many, certainly far less valuable than watching those televised debates between presidential hopefuls. Yet those offer the hapless viewer absolutely nothing but rising ire, increasing our body's production of bile and causing indigestion, constipation and insomnia, to say nothing of fear and loathing. The other evening I turned on the TV and saw Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders going at it like two barnyard animals, hurling insults at one another, claws and fangs out. I could stand only two minutes of it and switched to a rerun of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Let the intelligentsia watch politics, with the incessant replays of the ugliest moments by pundits grasping for higher ratings. They can also take the antidepressants; current estimates show 10% of the U.S. population popping prescription pills for depression and anxiety. I'll stick with the kitties, puppies and Raymond, and a good night's sleep.